Chapter 4--Part 1

Author's Note:

I really like this chapter. I can't wait to get part two published.

Phebe and Artemis having decided to reconvene the following day, Phebe went to rest. Her exhaustion weighed on her so much that the night passed swiftly and the morning arrived suddenly.

Listening to her internal clock, she cracked her eyes open. It's time already? She groaned. Moments later, she rolled out of the corner she had nestled herself in and stood up. Stretching and yawning, she gazed around. Her eyes would not catch any details in the darkness, so she flicked on her horn. That's better.

A tinge of nostalgia rattled her soul. This underground area used to be her stomping grounds; she would travel through these tunnels to chase and capture law-breakers. Thanks to her physical stamina and nice teleport spell, she was able to catch them with fair ease. Regardless, she was glad she could enjoy the dark and quiet surroundings of her favorite place in Dodge without the disruption of criminals.

Gingerly, she stepped forward. When her left forehoof touched the ground, she winced out of habit. Right... not broken. A breath of relief exited her lungs. Her legs then carried her forward.

Though, despite having four working legs, the ground caused her frustration; it was extremely uneven and bumpy. Sure, the granite walls and ceiling were smooth, but those were pony-crafted in order to prevent cave-ins. The ground, however, was carved out for water flow and no more. In short, it wasn't designed for hooves. Whatever.

Desiring to avoid a walk on the bothersome terrain, she teleported to the tent where she and Artemis met earlier. Oddly enough, she cast her spell effortlessly. Since she didn't see her destination, she had to use a variation of “Whisper in the Wind” which combined it and her teleport spell. Though she had previously done this with her levitation spell, the teleport required more skill and magic to perform. In other words, a Whisper in the Wind spell combined with a teleport spell shouldn't be easy. Furthermore, Phebe had never cast this combination before. In normal circumstances, a Unicorn would have to practice a single spell to make it work, let alone causing two to work in unison. And yet more, there wasn't an incantation required. She had to use one to use Whisper in the Wind previously, but now, with more difficulty added, she didn't need one. All in all, she performed her spell far beyond her ability to do so.

Despite this, she didn't question it. Her curiosity did bother it, but she had to focus on other matters--such as, the meeting with Artemis. Therefore, in order to satiate her desire for answers, she concluded in her mind, The Element of Perseverance must helped me with the spell. Since it had empowered her before, this was a logical conclusion and enough to make her temporarily satisfied.

Breaking her from her thoughts, Artemis walked into the tent and greeted, “Hey.” Shortly there after, two other armored Changelings walked in. “Dark Shade is still missing, so I sent out a search party for him. Hopefully, they'll find him.” After his brief explanation, he embraced Phebe. “How did you sleep?”

“Well enough,” she answered plainly.

“Good.” Even though she did not reciprocate, he kept a smile. “Returning to the important matter, we need to decide what to do. The queen did not give us a plan for if we were to be cut off from them, but seeing we are own our own, we need to determine a well-thought-out plan of action.” He motioned to the other two Changelings with him. “These are my assistants, Kirk Briar and Labil Nasha.” The two bowed their heads politely. “They'll be helping us plan.”

Phebe squinted her eyes at them. Helping us with the plan? Something irked her about them, but she could not pin the origin of her annoyance. “All right. So, what are we going to do?”

“Well, the Guardians are in multiple places around Dodge City,” Artemis said with a scowl. “I don't understand why they are here, but they're definitely have intention behind their presence.”

The Unicorn cocked her head. “Why would you say that?”

“They are masking themselves in the surroundings. For instance,” he said while pointing to a crate's shadow created by Phebe's horn, “they hide in the darkness. We've had our people scouring the city as ponies, and since they know what to look for, they've been able to spot the Guardians without being spotted.” A worried expression came over him. “I don't know how long that will keep up, and I fear that Dark Shade's disappearance may cause trouble for us later. If he has been captured, then who knows what those fiends will do with him. They're obviously quite intelligent, so we need to be prepared for anything.”

“What are our options?”

Labil piped up, “I believe we should escape while we can.” Shock struck when a female voice came out of this Changeling's body. She possessed an appearance similar to the others, so Phebe was not prepared. “We can act as a company going to another city for business.”

“Actually,” Kirk added, “we would be better suited to take smaller groups out of the city at a time. It would draw less attention.”

With a grimace, she shook her head. “But if they attack in the time it takes for all our people to leave, we'll lose more of our kind. We shouldn't waste time.”

Curtness returned to her explanation. “Look, if we mess this up, we'll lose everyone. It's better safe.”

“You aren't thinking this one through, Kirk. Think of our people!”

“That's what I'm saying. Every time I come up with a good idea you reject it!”

At that moment, Phebe knew why she felt annoyed by them. She gave a look of disgust to Artemis. These are your “assistants”? she thought. After returning a look of disappointed to Phebe, he interjected, “Shut up.” Both subordinates obeyed instantly and gave their full attention to their leader. “Good.” Turning to the only pony in the room who hopefully had a fresh perspective, he questioned, “What do you think, Phebe? I am terribly with making up ideas; that's why I have them. Still... I want to know all my options in order to make the right decision.” Yearning reflected off his eyes as if something more was intended by his question.

She ignored the potential hidden intent behind the words and focused on the matter he had presented openly. While she pondered silence filled the room. You're kidding me, right? That's some of the worst advise I've heard. Is that all they have? How much of this did they think through? She felt offended by their worthless counsel to the point of giving her a headache. They gave one choice—that is, retreat. She would have had less issue with their idea if this was spur of the moment, but it seemed obvious to her that they took time to prepare. On top of that, they began a spat concerning a plan that was almost exactly the same. She could not conceive why Artemis would have them. He seemed to have realized their lack of ability since he asked her for advise, but why would he keep them around if they were terrible for ideas? Unable to contain herself any longer, she gave a directed question. “Why are they here?” She eyed them. Though lacking attitude, her words thrust mercilessly. “They are the two biggest dimwits I've ever encountered. Why would you ever use them?”

“Hey! That's not nice,” both of them replied.

Phebe sternly answered, “Leave.” When they did not, she reaffirmed with a yell, “I said leave!” In that moment, the two of them scrammed. Now, this was a test. If they had stuck around, they would have proven that they had some guts and loyalty, but in leaving, they disrespected Artemis greatly. He did not order them to do anything; they left because they were scared.

“Why did you do that?” Artemis began scratching the side of his head.

“Are yo-”

“I'm joking. I know why you did that.” A lengthy chuckle escaped from his mouth. “They were my assistants by Chrysalis' orders. I don't know why she picked them, but I couldn't get rid of them myself. I'm not allowed to counter the queen's orders even if she did pass away. Maybe they'll learn something from this.” He seemed to be handling well the loss of his leader, but he could have been putting on a show to keep the spirits up of his underlings.

“I hope so.” Actually, she didn't hope that they would learn anything. Chrysalis was still dead, and her people defeated. Why had Judgment Day still taken place? She had yet to determine the answer, even after agreeing to figure it out. Ironically, Artemis, who claimed he would have contrived a resolution for the problem of the Guardians, also failed to keep his word. “So, you want my opinion?”

“Yeah... as I said, I'm terrible with creating ideas.” His ears lowered as a light grimace fell upon him. “I tried all night to think of something, but I just couldn't.”

“Well then, let me assist.” She smiled proudly. “I believe we have three major options. Kirk and Labil showed you one, and that's retreat. Besides this, we stay here—hidden—and hope they don't find us, or we could face them in a head-on conflict.”

“Eh... retreat is sounding better already.” A tense aura swayed through the room suddenly carrying away the lighthearted mood. Delays between statements revealed that brains were cranking. “If we want to stay in this city, we'll have to regularly leave these tunnels and travel to the surface for food. Several of us already have jobs. To keep suspicion a side and to pay for the food, we'd have to keep working at those jobs. If we left, we could simply leave and make new identities wherever we go.” He didn't even consider fighting the Guardians. Since the Changelings had lost to them many times already, it was understandable why he brushed the idea aside. ++++

“I see.” The Unicorn twisted her head to the side. They've been running from the Guardians since the beginning of the year. And now they've lost practically everything and everyone. Can they afford to keep running? “If we retreat, we don't know that the Guardians won't follow us. I suggest that we don't get out of Dodge, and rather make it our home.” The Changelings officer nodded to the suggestion and began pondering as she further explained, “Since I am well favored here, in case somepony suspects something, I have the ability to push your identity and location under the rug, and I know the tunnels and their many entrances perfectly. Realistically, your chances are better here than anywhere else.” Her logic was sound, she felt.

“Okay. So, you're suggesting that we stay hidden from them?” His tone revealed a lack of surety.

“In part.” She motioned to the surroundings. “We are underneath one of the most populated cities in all of Equestria. If the Guardians make a move against us, so long as we keep your identity secret until then, we can cause my people to consider them enemies as well.” Intentionally making a dramatic gesture, she hopped onto one of the food crates and raised a hoof to the sky. “No more running; that's all you've been doing for months. There are very few of you left, so what else do you have to lose? I say we stand our ground. If they find us down here, we'll draw them up top and cause a big commotion. We may lose to them, but if we enough attention on them in the meanwhile, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will get involved, as well as the bearers of the other Elements, which we know can defeat the Guardians.” After stepping off, she pointed to him. “Does retreat still sound like a good idea?” The expectation was for him to immediately shake his head and say no; however, this was not the case.

“I need to think this over.” His hoof was placed to his chin, and he drifted into internal musing.

“Hm...” In reflection, she realized the dire position Artemis had been placed into. One wrong move meant the demise of himself and all his people. If he were the only one to decide for, then the decision would be simpler. She internally acknowledged the wisdom he possessed. Someone rash might conclude quickly, but he is not like that. In fact, this particular trait of Artemis reminded her of Pyre. When Pyre came to an important matter, he had always thoroughly considered the issues at hoof and the options set before him. Like everypony else, He sometimes made wrong decisions, but nopony could ever have accused him of making those wrong decisions for a lack of thoughtfulness. I admire that.

Swapping topics for the time being, she spoke, “I did not find anything about Judgment Day either. I slept most of yesterday, so I could not seek the answer. I'm sorry.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Escaping his state of pensive lostness, he walked up to Phebe and gazed directly into her eyes. Gently he stated, “I don't know why Judgment Day happened, but if it weren't for you, none of us would have survived.”

He was right, but she scoffed, “Yeah... if only Chrysalis wasn't killed.”

“I know it's difficult.” He put a hoof on her shoulder. “Remember to be strong and courageous.” She had heard that somewhere before. “This is the time of battle, and we can't faint now. We can still win. We can find the answers together.”

“And that reminds me,” Hoshana replied with a sly grin. “You never told me about the rest of your dream.” She leaned her head forward returning Artemis' strong gaze with her own stare. Immediately, his confident reassurance shriveled up, and nervous anxiety replaced it. “You are several days late.”

“You won't like it.”

“I don't care.”

“Are you sure?” His persistence in delaying the telling of his dream finally began to cause her worry, for she feared that her marriage to him was part of the dream. She didn't hate Artemis, but she wasn't ready to accept him as her her husband. She nodded anyway, but he returned with his question, “Are you absolutely sure? It's... extremely significant, and once I tell you, there will be no going back.”

With a swig of reluctance, she replied, “Is it significant particularly to me?”

He sighed. “Yes.” Phebe recollected what he had said the first time she met him. When he was explaining his dream, he had said that the third part of it was mostly about him. After hearing his acknowledgment, she realized the remainder of the dream was actually about her, and that he, back then, was trying to avoid sharing with her. “Since judgment day came, I don't know how reliable the dream is now, and it may not come true at all.” At this time, his eyes averted from hers, and he would not even glace at her. “I really I don't want to get you worked up over something that won't ever happen.”

The more he spoke, the deeper her fear sank into her heart. “I want to know.” After all he had already stated, she could not turn back anyway. Her curiosity intensely desired the answer, though the rest of her objected.

“Kay...” He huffed a heavy breath. “After you, the blind Unicorn, come and give us this message, I see you... and I...” In addition to the averted gaze, his head sank and his voice lowered to almost indiscernible whisper. “We have a... a... wedding.”

In that moment, Phebe wasn't surprised; in fact, she was relieved. While her fear had come to pass, she had expected it and unwittingly prepared herself for it. Since the truth was out, she didn't need to worry anymore about what it could be. That said, she also knew, like Artemis had said, that anything could happen. Just because he had a strangely accurate dream does not mean every part of it will come true. Furthermore, part of it seemed not to have been accurate; after all, Judgment Day still took place.

“That's not all.” As he spoke, his body began to quiver.

Now, Phebe found his sudden nervousness strange. Of anyone, he ought to be the most eased for getting this off his chest. Thus, clearly, whatever else he had left to share carried a much heavier weight than that of marriage.

“After our wedding... I see you falling.” He choked on his words and grimaced. Anticipation built up as he delayed in speech. “You... fall... to your d... death.”

“W-what!?” Her jaw dropped. That's not even fair! Then she recalled one other detail; I AM had told her she would die for the Changeling's sake. I get married and then die? Though not necessarily guaranteed, the possibility seemed high. Wow. Great... Nonetheless, she overcame her astonishment. What had surprised her initially was not that she would die, but, rather, that she was supposed to get married only to die after. In regards to dying itself, she didn't care too much. After all, she had recently tried to commit suicide.

“You see what I mean.” He slowly turned his head upward to face her, but a certain shamefulness caused him to look away regularly. “I'm sorry. Again, Judgment Day wasn't supposed to happen. So... it's not nec-”

Complacent about death, she changed the topic. “Are you still going to try to marry me?” She decided she would no longer fight marriage. Whatever was to happen would happen. She might even grow to like him at some point.

He jumped slightly at the sharpened notion. For the first time in several minutes, he gave a steady, unwavering reply, “Yes. Yes, I am.” Head nodded afterword. “I don't care what the dream says. You're worth whatever effort I need to give to earn you love.”

Phebe pondered for a moment and then popped an inquiry, “Why haven't you proposed to me yet?”

His answer struck quickly. “Lots of reasons. One, you have to accept, and I'm not going to propose to you when I know you're not interesting. Two, I'm not supposed to be married being a Changeling since the Queen is the only one allowed to bear children. It's hard to feast on love with so many already.” The way he said that, he was clearly unhappy with that Changelings were forbidden to marry. “Third, I don't know if either of us are ready for it. Four, the Guardians are still a threat, so I don't believe now is a good time for a wedding. Five, I don't know how weddings work. The closest I ever came to seeing one was the wedding our queen impersonated Cadence for. Six, I'm scared of the outcome of that dream.”

Part of her was tempted to sigh wistfully, but she consciously refused to do so. Nonetheless, she approved and appreciated his calculated, honest, and realistic answer, and in doing so, she indirectly permitted respect for him to enter her mind. Now, she was given reason to like him, though she didn't particularly want to like him. Well, crabapples. “I won't lie, you've thought this through.”

“I don't take marriage lightly, nor do I take you lightly. You are the daughter of I AM, after all.”

A child of I AM? Her God had called her daughter in that dream several days back, but she had to wonder why Artemis thought of her as I AM's daughter as well. She didn't bother, though. If he had been shown in a dream that she was to come to the Badlands, marry him, and then die at the end, what surprise should there be if I AM had revealed another detail to him? “I appreciate that. Thank you.”

An impeccably huge grin formed on the face of the changeling. “You're welcome,” he chimed fluttering his wings excitedly.

“Is there any thing else that needs to be discussed?” The eyes of her heart rolled sneeringly yet playfully at his show of hype; however, she retained a blank demeanor.

Artemis wondered briefly while he scrunched his mouth to one side. “No. Besides, I need to talk with Kirk and Labil and determine our plan. Would you seek your God for us? We need wisdom and guidance.”

As the words “your God” exited the Changeling's mouth, a lick of annoyance slopped its wet and slimy saliva across Phebe's entire face. She shuttered briefly. With authority, she stated, “I will seek him, but he is your God, just as much as he is mine. Furthermore, you are his people, as much I am his daughter. You can seek him too.”

“Hm... right.” While mulling her statement over, he hovered out of the tent—head lowered slightly.

~~~~~

At the following day, Kirk Briar and Labil Nasha confronted Phebe. She expected them to be angry, but she discovered expressions of worry and fright upon them. “Hey... Phebe,” the female Changeling spoke first. Her voice carried at the level of a whimper. “We have a question.”

Taking a seat upon the floor, Hoshana cocked her head and replied, “Go ahead.”

“We both had really strange dreams. They were very vivid and also frightening, but we don't know what them mean.” Labil motioned to Kirk with her head. “We both wanted to know if you could interpret them for us.”

I'm supposed to know what their dreams mean? A number of reservations were nearly adhered to, but Phebe pushed them a side until she heard what the dreams were. “Tell me.”

Labil elbowed her fellow Changeling. “You first.”

“All right,” Briar said with a light shrug. “In my a dream, I saw three sets of armor lined up. They were made recently—without damaged and polished. I brought them before Artemis and tested each one of them for quality. They all passed inspection, so I gave them to him.” After a brief pause, he shrugged again yet wielded noticeable stress on his face. “That's all.”

“Oh.” For some reason, Phebe knew exactly the interpretations for the dreams. That's weird. “I know what it means, but it must have come from I AM. I don't know why I understand it.” Having given credit where it was due, she proceeded to explain, “Anyway, the three pieces of armor are three days. In three days, you'll gain the respect of Artemis and be helpful in defending your people.”

Both Changelings smiled, and Labil, gleefully anticipating what her dream meant, told hers, “I saw three sheets of paper. Something was written on them for Artemis, and as I went to take them to him, they were ripped apart suddenly.” She ended there. In an instant, her joyous expectancy transformed into terror, for the eyes of Phebe went wide and her mouth gawked with horror. “What-what is it? Is something wrong?” A response didn't come immediately, so she pressed, “Tell me!”

“The three papers are three days.” The Unicorn allowed her gaze to fall. “In three days, you will be torn to shreds instantly.” She had a distinct idea of how Labil would come to this fate. The Guardians... “I'm sorry. I wish... I wish it were different.”

Briar yelled, “No, that's not going to happen! I won't let it.”

Nasha rested a hoof onto his shoulder and shook her head. “It's fine,” she said reassuringly.

“What? No. No!” A thorough growl come forth from his throat. “This isn't how it will be.”

“Kirk,” Phebe stated softly yet firmly.

“What!?”

“You've got three days. Make them count.” Kirk would have snapped at her, and she knew this; therefore, she immediately spun around and began walking away. In this manner, Kirk was not given the opportunity for an outburst.

During the first few steps leading away from the Changelings, heavyheartedness set on Phebe. First, Judgment Day still takes place, second, I'm going to die after getting married, and now Labil is going to die in three days. Why, my Lord, why? Have you turned your back on us? Her mood carried no anger and minimal frustration, but intense confusion plowed through her mind and heart. I don't get it. What are you trying to do here?

She glanced back at the two. They were hugging each other. Were they both terrible at supplying advise? Yes. Did they argue over petty matters? Yes. At least, those qualities seemed evident from her first encounter with them. Nevertheless, she did not wish any kind of demise on them. In fact, the concept of Labil perishing produced a defensive attitude. I don't want Labil to die, I AM. Phebe found a quiet corner to huddle in, and she lay down there. Save here! Rescue her! Please...

The following three days were torture. The only thing that Phebe could think of was the dream Labil had been given. It spelled to her doom. Phebe Hoshana hated the prediction. The fact that Phebe herself had a prophecy of her own demise played a significant part into her frustration; that was unfair enough. Now Labil was destined for death as well. It seemed as if I AM was treating that Changeling like a plaything in his “great plans.” If at any time Phebe saw injustice, she saw it now. Every fiber of her yearned that the dream would be false.

At some moments, she tried to comprehend why this prophecy bugged her so much, but eventually, she did discover the why. She could relate to the Changelings in all their suffering. They lost their home as Phebe had experienced twice in her life, they lost their leader like she had lost her teacher, and they were scrapping by in life like she had done for years at a time.

Therefore, she spent all three days in prayer pleading that her God would spare Labil. She found herself close to shedding tears repeatedly, and the intensity of her asking repeatedly drew out sweat. Enough death had taken place around Phebe, so she would not sit still when the life of one was on the line. She was called by I AM as a messenger of salvation, and this must have meant something. Surely, if anyone, he would hear her.

~~~~~

Halfway through that third day, Artemis approached her. “Hey, Phebe! I've got good news.”

From a lying position, she perked her head and ears. Both were highlighted by the glow of her horn. “What is it?” she inquired with anticipation. Maybe Labil won't die after all.

“Dark Shade returned!”

While some disappointment entered into Phebe's heart, a waft of relief filled her chest. “That's good.” She smiled and got up. “Where is he? I want to talk with him.”

“I'll take you to him.” He lead her away from the secluded area that she had been residing in and took her to the central area of their camp where the entire crew of Changelings—about 30 in total—formed a crowd. “Attention!” he called out to his underlings. They all turned around and faced him. “Give him some breathing space.” Each of them took a single step outward of the circle they had formed. “That does not qualify as 'breathing space.' Phebe wants to talk with him, so everyone go away.” Submissive to their leader, all of them except one left the immediate vicinity. The who remained was Dark Shade.

Phebe alone walked up to the Changeling. “Hey, it's good to see you.” She welcomed him with a motherly pat on the head. “I was not sure what happened to you.”

Dark failed to look her in the eyes, and actually, he barely responded to her at all. His words were: “I'm sorry.” Extreme shame filled his statement. As he spoke, Phebe noted a shadow cross overhead. Because it was a brief sight, she made only a minor note of it.

“What do you mean, 'I'm sorry'?” She stared askance upon him. Wonderment filled her mind of where he had been. What had he been up to for four days? These tunnels aren't expanse enough to travel them that long. He surely would have found an escape to the surface. The surface had the Guardians there. At that point, her mind registered what the shadow she had seen was. Unfortunately, this was to late, for as she went to call out to the Changelings, the Guardians were already upon them. Shrieks sounded through the tunnels. “Dark Shade!? What did you do!?”

“I'm sorry.” Shade's wings activated and he left the vicinity slowly. In the moments that he disappeared into the blackness, several Guardians surrounded Phebe.

He betrayed us! It was pretty clear that he had given away the location of their hideout. In some small part, this explained why he had taken so long to return, though she yet wondered what specifically happened. Was he captured? He hadn't the heart to willfully turn his back on his people, as far as she could tell, so she concluded that they found him and forced him into an act of betrayal. “Back off!”

“We don't want to fight,” one wisp replied.

Taken aback, she snorted, “Oh yeah? Then why this show? You didn't have to attack us by surprise.”

“We want your Element.” That statement incited rage within Phebe.

“Not a chance.” As she spoke, two more Guardians arrived from behind Phebe, and each of them carried a Changeling in its grasps. Being intensely aware of her surroundings, she noticed immediately and looked at the prisoners. To her dismay, they were Kirk and Labil. She already had a pretty good idea of how this situation was to end.

“Phebe, help!!!” The latter cried out.

The prior resounded afterward, “They're going to kill us! Please save us!” Their voices wobbled revealing intense panic and fright. “Please... please! Save us.”

The Guardian who spoke before repeated his previous statement, “We want your Element.” It then tacked on, “if you do not, we will kill these two. We can kill them all.”

Phebe halted. They want my Element? She put some mental processing power into the situation. If they truly had no intention of killing the Changelings and simply wanted the Element, then their presence in Dodge City was simply to retrieve that Element. The Guardians must think I'm still a threat to them, so they want to take away my power to kill them. If I give this away, then I'll be safe, and the Changelings! Oh, even Labil! Instantly, she concluded that this opportunity was I AM's answer to her prayer. She could prevent Labil's death if she gave away her source of power. It was costly, but it was a worthwhile expense to save the life of many. Sure, this was sudden, but under the circumstances, she had not the ability to belabor her decision. “All right... fine.” She still was not pleased with this turn of events, though. “Take it.” She reached for her Element and removed it. Immediately, she tossed her necklace towards one of the Guardians. It caught the necklace.

“Good choice. Release them.” Everything seemed to go according to plan. The Guardians got the Element, and Phebe would get her people back in one piece. Unfortunately, her plan had a glitch. By no command of Phebe, the Element of Perseverance cast a consuming light around the Guardian which caught it. Quite instantly, the Guardian was devoured, and the Element dropped to the ground. “A trap!”

Phebe's pupils dilated. “No-no! That-”

“Kill a prisoner.”

“STOP!” Phebe called out.

Moreover, Kirk Briar shouted, “No. Oh God no!

Tears bursting from her tear ducts, Nasha pleaded, “Don't! I want to live. I want to live!” Another Guardian drifted speedily to her and readied for an attack. “NOOOOO!!!!!” Her scream was loud enough to deafen anyone next to her. In an attempt to rescue her, Phebe readied a teleport spell, but she was too late.

CRUNCH!!! The Guardian contacted his arm with Labil, and like Chrysalis, she was blown into hundreds of pieces.

“LABIL!!!” Kirk and Phebe shouted in sheer terror.

The speaking Guardian floated up close to Phebe's face and reaffirmed, “Give us the Element. No more tricks.”

The Unicorn did not even look at the ghost creature. Her eyes were affixed upon where her friend had been. In a instant, her hopes and her love were dashed into shards. A thousand objections shrilled in her ears. I AM had given her a heart for them, and she had noticed this repeatedly. Her hatred for them had long vanished, and tender care had been steadily filling the void that her hate had left. She wanted to see them victorious over the Guardians, she wanted to see them return home, and most of all, she wanted them to live. All the love that I AM had given her for them, and it could not be fulfilled. Her insides burned, her vision blurred, and her mind whirred. What was the point of growing to love a people if her love was crushed at every turn? Why would I AM yank out her desire to kill the Changelings, replace that with a longing for their survival, and then have them killed anyhow? Did he find enjoyment in spiting her? Did he smile are her misery? Did he laugh at her sorrow?

Questions didn't matter anymore. Memories of Chrysalis' death came back to her and the thought of Artemis' dream replayed in her mind. I can't build any friendship. There... there isn't even a point in trying anymore. They'll all die... except Artemis. Instead, I will die. Trying to hide from the pain, she choose to feel nothing at all as she had done for years before. I should have never opened my heart up. I'll only get hurt again and again.

“Disable your Element.” The Guardian snapped her from her internal reflections. “Otherwise, we will kill the other prisoner.” She did not look at it, nor did she give a glance to the Element or Kirk. Her enemy, her ally, and her weapon had lost all their value—whether negative or positive. There wasn't any point in trying; all purpose sank into a swamp of despair. “Kill him.”

“GAH! NO-NO-NO!” Kirk shrieked like a coward. Suddenly a green beam struck one of the arms holding him, and the arm shirked back instantly. He was free!

Artemis, accompanied by several other Changelings, charged into the fray attacking every Guardian they came into contact with. While fighting, he shouted, “Kirk, grab the Element and Phebe and go!” Happy to have escaped death, Kirk obeyed the command at full speed. He snatched the necklace with magic and physically grabbed Phebe. A Guardian immediately tried to stop them, but Artemis placed himself between his friends and his foe. “Not today!” This delayed the opponent long enough for Briar to gain a little distance. Another Changeling, apparently capable of defensive magic, placed a solid barrier in the tunnel between the area where Changelings and Guardians fought and where he had brought Hoshana. The Guardians tried to pass through, but they couldn't. When they saw that they couldn't, they tried to break through, but by that point, Kirk had turned down the tunnel thereby causing them to lose sight of him.

~~~~~

The armored Changeling stopped underneath an exit to the surface. “They'll be coming for us. We should go up there.” He dropped Phebe on the ground. “We'll be safe.” Immediately upon touching the floor, Phebe lackadaisically walked away from the exit and towards the battle that they had run from. “What are you doing!?” She did not answer.

And there was one left. I won't protect him either. Her spirit had been crushed more thoroughly than any other time in her life. Even though her body had plenty of her energy left to it, weakness encapsulated her soul. I'll just die. Maybe they'll let me do that. I just want to die! Having been brought to the end of herself, Phebe shed heavy streams of tears.

“Phebe, snap out of it!” As much as he might try to communicate to her, she did not hear him. For her, wound had been toppled upon injury, injury to scars, and insult to injury. Overflowing depression and anguish consumed her, so her only desire was death. She could think of nothing else, nor taste, see, or hear anything else. “Phebe!” He attempted to grab her again, but she retaliated with a buck. The force of her hooves was strong enough to throw him into unconsciousness.

Desiring nothing more than to disappear, she fell onto her belly and began sobbing loudly. She would have put her face into her hooves, but her sorrow consumed her so much that she couldn't muster the will to do even that simple deed. Like a banshee, she wailed mournfully. It would be heard throughout the tunnels. Please find me. Please just kill me! KILL ME! She had never desired death more than now. My Lord, end it. End it-end it-end it-end it! Without realizing it, her internal chant soon bled into a vocal one. “End it-end it-end it.”

Over the progress of time, her cries became quieter, and her eyes dried up. She wanted to escape somehow from her misery, and yet everything held her tightly to her state of emotional distress. She would even have loved to fall asleep, but her soul-sapping agony kept her back from that. Terrorizing her further, her body would not move. In other words, she was stuck in one place, wide-awake, with only hell itself for her friend. “My God, why have you turned your back on me?” she finally muttered. “Why have you left me? Where are you?” These were not the inquiries of a hateful accuser; rather, they were those a shredded, tattered, and shattered child begging her father for answers and for help. “Why...” She dwelt on the single word.

“Why don't you trust me?” A whisper wrapped itself through her ears. “Did I not say?”

If any other ponies, in the same circumstances, had heard those words, they would have reviled their God and their faith in him. She did not. Though her God could have stopped all these events from taking place, Phebe reacted warmly to the question. At the least her God was talking to her. He cared enough for that much. “I'm sorry.” She desired to explain failure in not trusting him, but her tongue grasped to the bottom of her mouth. Several more drops of water escaped her eyes, and when she tried to speak again, only a moan came out.

“Well, this is weird.” That mysterious pony that had been popping up repeatedly spoke up from behind Phebe. He lay down in front of her. She tried to look at him, but the darkness made that nigh impossible. She saw only his silhouette.

He's here?

“I did leave Dodge City, you know?” He got up briefly, lit a torch, placed it next to them, and finally resumed his place in front of her. When he rested on the floor again, he noted her condition, “Oh my.” A frown formed but was soon replaced by a warm smile. “You've lost everything, haven't you?” She couldn't nod or speak. “Of course, you have. This explains why I ended up in these tunnels... again.” He put a hoof close to the flame. “Isn't it warm? It's comfy and cozy until...” He placed his hoof into the fire and allowed it to burn there for several seconds; furthermore, when he removed it, the flame remained on his limb. After allowing the fire to sear his flesh for awhile, he flicked his leg to extinguish the fire. A section of char remained. “You get burned. Phebe,” he said gently, “I can relate to you. I am still working through the loss of all that I had and all that I was, and I've gone through it multiple times. Haven't you? Of course you have.” His expression became stern. “God has promised you something, hasn't he? And yet... it seems impossible that it would ever happen, right? We say, 'There's no way that could ever happen. I'm too weak, pitiful, and helpless, my adversaries are too strong and oppressive, and I've got no one to help me. It just won't happen.'” The stranger shook his head with stern disapproval. “God sometimes makes promises with conditions. If we do 'this' and 'this' and 'this, then he will do 'this' and 'this' and 'this.' I don't think that's the type of promise he has made to you. God sometimes makes promises without conditions. He will do 'this' and 'this' and 'this,' and we cannot stop him no matter how hard we try... or don't try. Has he not given you an unconditional promise, Phebe?”

She pondered his words intensely. An unconditional promise? Aren't I going to get married to Artemis. For the first time, she actually desired that. She had seen Artemis in action, and she liked his personality, respected his character, and accepted his flaws—though she had seen very few of these. I can't change that? Is is that it won't change like my coming death won't change?

“How many suffer like you do? And how many more will?” He allowed a full minute of silence of the consideration of those questions. “A lot. You have an important position, don't you? Of course you do. For instance, let's examine your friend.” He motioned to Kirk. “He just lost the love of his life. He wanted to marry her, but due to circumstances, he was not able. As soon as their opportunity had come, she dies.”

Kirk wanted to marry Labil? She had to wonder how this pony knew all of these things, but if he was a messenger of God like he said he was, she would not question too much. He must be in a lot of hurt. And... what about Artemis? He puts on a face because he has to, but he can't escape the loss of so many of his people. What about Dark Shade? He must be dying inside. His face had so much guilt on it. The shame.

“I AM decided that you would be the messenger of hope. The hope—salvation.” His tone grew firm and passionate. “They turned around, Phebe! Their lives are different. Their view of life is brighter and better. And God wants to do unfathomable amounts more in your life. Your life does make a difference, whether or not you accept that fact. This is a fact for all of us, and we all must choose this day who we will serve.” He tapped himself on the head. “Serve yourself, and you'll never see anything happen. Serve him.” He pointed upward. “And, though there may be times of silence and desert, you will never stop seeing things happen.”

“Can... I ask you something?” She finally formulated a sentence.

His answer was not initially direct which caused her worry. “I have not given you the chance to ask anything in the past, and I may not have much chance in the future.” Relief came when he spoke his next sentence. “I am not leaving until I have addressed each question you seek an answer for. I may not be able to give you an answer for everything, but I will try. God has not abandoned you in your time of need, and neither will I. Go on.”

“Who are you?”

His demeanor sank. “Well, you would ask that. I suppose giving you some flippant response at the time would be inconsiderate and unloving.” After a sigh, he stated, “I am no one.” Phebe squinted at him. “A lot of people respond that way. Phebe, I don't know precisely know who I am or what I am, nor do I even possess a name. Since my beginning, I've been called no name. Again, I'm not joking.” A second heavier sigh followed, and he grimaced lightly. It was clear that he searched for answers concerning himself.

“Black Star.”

“What?”

Phebe started to break through the darkness that shrouded her heart. While pain still greeted her at every mental turn, she managed to speak in a cheery to tone, “Your name is Black Star. You are a messenger that does not carry your own message. No one sees you. Yet you are there giving warmth and hope to people who are completely unaware of your presence. You are giving the message of another, and while they don't see you, they see who you represent. I know I do.”

An unbelievably huge smile came across the fellow. “Black Star... Black Star.” The name rolled of his tongue repeatedly. “I love it! Phebe, I was here to console you, and hah, I think you've just done far for me more than I've done for you. Thank you. Thank you so much.” A single tear trickled down his face. “Hah, my bad. So, anyway, God's messenger of hope, is there anything else that I can do for you?”

Immediately, Phebe thought of the problems she had been having with her Element. “Yeah, actually... Black Star, do you know about the Elements of Harmony?”

“Absolutely. But,” he qualified, “I don't know much about them. I've not met any of the others who bare them.”

She clicked her tongue. She had hoped to learn how to make the necklace work. The Guardians were still around, and they needed to be defeated. Unfortunately, the Element, being her only means of combating them, was not very cooperative.“I was hoping you could help me figure out why it won't work. It activated a few times, but it's pretty random.”

“Nope... I'm afraid I won't be any help to you there.”

A couple other questions popped in her head. Though she was disappointed in the seeking of answers for her previous inquiry, she did not halt in bringing forth the others. “You said you left Dodge, right? Where did you go?”

“Oh... well, I've been traveling around. No particular place, though.” He tilted his head. “I think God has something in mind in my wanderings, but I don't know what that is yet. I think I need to find someone in particular for some specific purpose, but that's only the feeling I get. I don't know.”

“Okay.” Phebe found the explanation acceptable. “And... would you be able to help me fight the Guardians? Kirk and I are the only ones left. We could use the help.”

“No. God specifically forbade me from helping you directly.” He huffed some air. “I would love to, but I believe he has something in mind for you. If I stepped in, I would get in the way of what he has planned. Obviously, that means you won't need my help anyway.”

“Won't need your help?” She pondered that statement for a lengthy time. Is that even possible? I can't get my Element to work. Everyone's lives are dependent on me, so I can't risk a foolish move. Yet... I don't need Black Star's help? Is there any help that I need? She hadn't any idea. I AM was enough, of course, and she understood that principle thoroughly. Nevertheless, she feared in herself about making the wrong move. In other words, I AM could be trusted but not her. An immediate recollection flushed away her doubts. I'm not married yet, and that's going to happen. One-sided promise, as Black Star said. Basically, I can't die yet. So, I have to try.

On that note, a suspicion crawled into her mind. “You know, I would have thought the Guardians would have come around by now. They wanted my Element so badly.” She expected a response from her friend, but one never came. “Black Star?” Silence. Because of the blackness, she could not see him. One of Phebe's legs stretched forward to feel for where he was, but it touched only air. “He's gone again.”

Having regained resolve, hooves pressed against the rough waterway's floor and pushed Phebe into a standing position. She quickly turned to the unconscious Changeling. “Kirk, wake up.” She strongly shook him.

“Uggghhhh...” he groaned before stirring. “Why does my head hurt?”

“No time to waste. We have to rescue your people.” She didn't like the sound of that statement, so a correction followed. “No, our people.”

“Huh?”

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The Rise of the Guardians and the Fall of One Hero - TrinityDragon

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